Pioneers function with revelatory boldness, a complete sense of purpose and assignment, a confidence in the sight lines of their visions. They have courage of this convincing that removes hesitation to action or any heaviness toward details that would hamper moving forward. While discussing the details of how the discovery will be made, pioneers often lead from the reality that they’ve already been where they are taking others, and a “if I can make it, so can you” sense of bringing the new territory into settlement.
They appreciate the homebase for what it provides them in pushing into new territory, a place to which they come home, but a place in which they soon become uncomfortable simply because they are focused upon what is coming next. They feel that others share this same sense of vision and influence others to explore with them. They share the vision with such fervor and passion that others are convinced what’s coming next is really out there and they should experience it as well.
Pioneers often miss the details of moving others where they’ve gone alone. That is, the relative simplicity of going somewhere new alone and the greater detail required to move others to the same territory escapes them. The details seem overly complex to them because the process of arriving at what’s coming next was so obvious to them and going there personally seems to the pioneer as something others should do with ease. Others do not share these feelings.
Others have not been there, and the details of moving a company to that new territory seem more important to them than the pioneer realizes. Pioneers tend to think, “We will work that out on the way. Let’s get moving. Let’s get doing. Let’s learn on the trail. Let’s adapt to the conditions as we walk into them.” Others tend to consider the needs and feelings of those in the company who do not share the pioneer’s revelatory boldness and tendency to demonstrate that faith with little hesitation. Others ask, “What if?” Pioneers answer, “We’ll see when we get there.”
Pioneers who are intentional about solving problems along the way will rebuild the confidence of others, but pioneers that simply dismiss what they consider to be bothersome and insignificant issues will empty people of their passion to pursue the quest.
Pioneers, both apostles and prophets, tend to move by inner vision and bold confidence. They have experienced “it all will work out in the end” enough times to just keep on going. Others will tend to stop and consider where they are and often get left behind because they come to the point of requiring someone to convince them over and over. Pioneers cannot live with this condition, and pioneers know this condition is dangerous to the whole company. Pioneers that provide people with answers, who problem-solve in a way that rekindles the company, will find that others will gather themselves to pursue the vision when the pioneer shows them that his leadership really does “make things work out in the end.” The “end” for others may be the place where you are now more than the place to which you are going.
Many people have been persuaded to follow a pipe dream fairy tales by pioneering leaders. The fault line lies in the actual vision. Does the pioneer really know what’s coming next? Does the pioneer have a vision from God? Or, is he running from some reality he wishes and wishes to substitute his “green valley out there somewhere” vision for God’s revelation of what’s next? Is he building himself a kingdom with others, or is he giving God what God wants by establishing kingdom with kingdom people?
The prophet who is silent or false will assist such a pioneer, selling snake oil to desperate people and swamp land to bright-eyed children. The apostle who lives with offense or personal pride and delusion will partner with such a prophet or provide some level of psuedo prophetic revelation himself. This is the trail to nowhere that comes with dysfunctional pioneers. People should assess by the voices that validate pioneers whether or not the trail they’ve chosen leads
